Protestant Nonconformity in Catthorpe

Catthorpe is 4 miles south of Lutterworth and is the extreme southern point of the county.

Joseph Lee moved here following his ejection as minister of Cotesbach, and held frequent illegal Sunday afternoon religious meetings here in 1669 attended by around 12-14 Presbyterians or Independents.[1] No nonconformists were noted among the inhabitants in 1676.[2] Rector John Cave recorded one family of Baptists in the parish in 1706, but none three years later.[3]

‘Langham’s house’ was registered for dissenting worship in 1722, but no denomination is recorded.[4]

Forty Wesleyan Methodists were said to meet in a house here in 1829.[5] No congregations were noted in 1851.

No further information has yet been found about these chapels

Notes

[1] R.H. Evans, ‘Nonconformists in Leicestershire in 1669’, Trans LAHS 25 (1949), p. 134

[2] A. Whiteman, The Compton Census of 1676: A Critical Edition (London, 1986), p. 336

[3] J. Broad (ed.), Bishop Wake’s summary of visitation returns from the diocese of Lincoln, 1706-1715. Part 2, Outside Lincolnshire (Huntingdonshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Leicestershire, Buckinghamshire) (Oxford, 2012), p. 843.

[4] ROLLR, QS 44/1/1, rot. 4v

[5] ROLLR, QS 95/2/1/9

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